


Fear

by jaydream



Category: Gravity Falls, ParaNorman (2012)
Genre: Character Death, Fluff and Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-17
Updated: 2013-02-17
Packaged: 2017-11-29 15:37:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/688604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaydream/pseuds/jaydream
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dipper wasn't prepared for what Norman saw that one Spring day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fear

Norman Babcock wasn't afraid of most things. After years of seeing the dead, being bullied, and pretty much saving your entire town from an angry little girl spirit, not much could scare the young boy. It was pretty much almost impossible to do.

  
When Norman met Dipper Pines, he grew the tiniest bit afraid. What if Dipper thought his condition was ... well ... freaky? After all, it was the weirdest thing to see the dead no matter where you went. What if Dipper turned him away like everyone else had? Turns out, Norman was afraid of something after all. Acceptance. That was the first stroke of fear.

  
After confessing to Dipper Pines about his gift, Norman became less afraid when the boy accepted his new friend as was and even showed him a little abnormality himself: the Big Dipper birthmark on his forehead. Norman smiled and knew that he and the boy would be fast friends.

  
As time went on and the two grew into their teens, Dipper would often ask Norman what he saw whenver his friend got this look in his eyes that told he saw the dead. Dipper would always take note of what Norman saw, when, and where. He had a whole journal just for this. And for some odd reason, it comforted Norman.

  
By the time the friends both reached a tender, late teenager age they had become more than just friends. With a push in the right direction from Dipper's twin sister, Mabel, Norman and Dipper had become fast boyfriends after years of friendship. The only problem was the small fear that rose up in Norman's chest. The fear of love. he'd been rejected by family and friends for so long that love was almost non-existent in his life. Yet, Dipper had shown the most love and affection out of anyone in Norman's life ever. Dipper was different. He was caring, funny, and understanding. Love. That was the second stroke of fear.

  
With no connection to his family in years and attending college with Dipper, Norman continued on with his life with his new boyfriend, best friend Mabel, and several other small friends in the school. He pretended that his life was just like he always wanted. Normal and content. But whenever something came around for the Pines twins, Norman's sense of normalcy disappeared and he would join them on paranormal adventures. Seeing the dead often helped Dipper and Mabel a lot.

  
There was a third, underlying fear that Norman never spoke of. It was a fear that he hoped that he would never have to come face-to-face with. He didn't even tell Dipper about it. This fear was just something that Norman thought if he didn't think about, it would go away. Maybe it would never happen, who knew?

  
On the week of spring break, Dipper and Norman were working a mystery case with Mabel when Norman got the chills. Since getting older, he would get chills or headaches whenever the dead were going to come around. Sometimes the headaches would get so bad, depending on what spirits were around and how many. Sometimes Norman would get so cold it was like winter to him, even though it would be spring or summer weather.

  
Dipper looked at his boyfriend and noticed that Norman was getting that look. He grabbed his notebook for spirit recordings that he'd toted around since they met and opened it to a blank spot. He looked at his boyfriend and smiled excitedly. "What do you see?"

  
Norman couldn't speak. This was a different kind of seeing. He couldn't look away. He couldn't answer Dipper. He couldn't MOVE. Norman was frozen in his fear. More than jsut fear, he was frozen in sadness.   
Feeling choked up and not seeing Dipper's worried expression, Norman's eyes were dead ahead of him, looking at nothing but air to Dipper. His eyes watered up as he slowly dropped to his knees. Tears started to trickle down the teen's face. Dipper was more than worried now.

"Norman!" Dipper ran over and knelt down. "Norm. Norm what is it? What do you see?" Dipper gently shook his boyfriend's shoulder. 

Swallowing softly, Norman didn't look away from in front of him and uttered the one thing that Dipper wasn't prepared for. Shaking slightly, he looked down at his book and wrote down what Norman just barely spoke.

 

_"When: Spring Break_   
_Time: 1:00 PM_   
_Where: 2 miles from my house_   
_Who: Courtney Babcock"_

  
Dipper looked up at a sobbing Norman and put his book down hurriedly, hugging his boyfriend tightly, rubbing his arm slowly. Neither of them had been prepared for this sudden occurance and it would take weeks for Norman to talk about it.

  
Courtney Babcock, Norman's big sister. Dead.

  
This was the third stroke of fear.


End file.
